The Girl with a Past
by DarkShirouX
Summary: A girl who had lost her memory is found near Luberia. She seems to have some relation to Nanashi. OCx? T for any stuff I might add later on.
1. The Beginning

The Girl with a Past

**A/N**: I've never really made a fanfic using anime so it's my first one . OC's only so far... I don't own MAR... The POV will change a lot using the line. Oh, and the POV starts with the OC not Nanashi.

**-Present Time-**

_"It's too bad you refused to join us" a man with dull blonde hair chuckled darkly, his stare piercing through me. My clothes were soaked and tattered with blood. It had turned my hair a dark red, and blood filled my mouth. I tried not to scream, knowing it would be just what he wanted. My breaths shallow and ragged, and my head hung low in defeat._

_"You bastard!" I cursed, panting heavily. My hands and legs were pinned against the tree, crimson blood running freely down my body. I felt my strength weaning and my eyes closing. **Come on, just a little longer!** My blood filled the glass orbs that had attached to my body. I knew I was going to die soon... **If only I wasn't so reckless!, **I cursed inwardly._

_"Talking won't save your life" the guy smirked, enjoying my suffering. "Not bad, your blood I mean" he spoke again drinking my blood from a small glass goblet he pulled out. **He's right... The first part anyways... **I thought bitterly. **I can't even move...** Blood was spread out all across the open clearing, cuts and gashes were all over my mangled body, even if nothing was broken. This guy didn't even have a scratch on him! My entire body wanted to collapse, but I wasn't going to give him that pleasure! A small glow came from the necklace under my shirt, giving me a small hope of relief._

_"It's too bad, maybe I should join the Chess Pieces..."_

**-Many Weeks/Months Before-**

"Ugh… What happened? I feel so numb…" I croaked my eyes closed, seeing nothing but empty darkness. A cool breeze floated over me, sending dust and debris over me. I tried to open my eyes slowly, but was blinded by the hot sun looming over me. Everything seemed to be blurry as I tried to find my surroundings, but it passed in a number of seconds. I tried to remember how I got this way, how I faced the blue sky, immobilized, and feeling nothing but emptiness. My entire body was numb, and my head spun with confusion.

I tried to move my arm as my mind screamed in protest, coming into my line of sight when I tilted my head slightly. Everything was so painful; it hurt just to even move any part of my body as all. My hand was splattered in blood, not fresh since it has turned a slight brownish color, the color of rust crusted on my hand. _What happened to me…? I don't remember anything… What is this place even…?_ Millions of questions poured into my head as I tried to figure it out one at a time.

I decided to answer my second question first, looking at the surroundings in my line of sight. There was a sheer cliff towards the right, stretching out towards the sky, scraping past the clouds, never seeming to end. I tilted my head towards the left side of me, concluding that I probably fell off the cliff. I ignored the pain it caused me to do so and saw a small group of people walking across this barren dirt land, not even a plant in sight. They only looked like silhouettes in the distance, a mirage maybe, but something told me they were real. _Maybe they can help me here… _I stared at the three shadowy figures coming towards, one of them seeming to run towards me. I smiled hopefully at the thought of being rescued, knowing I was saved before I let the darkness wash over me again.

"Hey guys! I think I see someone over there!" Akio yelled. He wore a shiny black T-shirt on, two axes crossed on the backside of his shirt. A white line ran though it diagonally as he wore white khaki pants as well. He had slightly long hair for a boy, just stopping before the base of his neck. It covered his forehead as well, but his eyes still showed. They were a strange golden color, filled with constant joy and happiness. His skin was light even in the baking sun, in contrast to the people next to him.

"You're imaging things Akio. I don't see anyone" the person next to him replied. He was clad in dark-green clothes, his pants a dark brown, not very suitable for someone out in a barren like place like they were now.

"Am not! I do see someone!" Akio protested a fake pout on his face as he ran ahead.

"Akio, we're supposed to be on patrol, not chasing after mirages!!" the last person yelled after him. He was clad in dark-brown leather, his left eye covered by an eye patch.

Akio ran towards the figure he saw regardless of his comrades' protests. As he ran across the bleak landscape, the once silhouette of the person he saw became clear. He finally managed to catch up to the person he saw lying on the ground, some kind of wet liquid beneath her as he panted. _It's a girl, _he thought surprised. Not that many people would be able to make it this far in this barren landscape alone, and most of people who have were men. This was merely a girl! She looked like a teenager, fourteen, maybe sixteen?

The girl had an almost countless number of cuts and scratches on her, most of them minor though. She has long black hair spread out beneath her, her head titled toward him as if to face him, contoured in pain. She was covered in so much blood though; he couldn't tell what she actually looked like! Blood seemed to be spattered all over her.

Blood flowed from a wound over her right eye, drenching half her face in blood. The ends of her hair were drenched crimson, and she was covered in cuts. They were all minor, but she was bleeding profusely! She looked as if she came straight out of a war! The first wound he noticed though was a long, deep gash running across her entire body, cutting through the girl's white tank-top. Another gash was found on her left arm, the wound cut jaggedly.

There was a small cut on her left cheek, and her head was bleeding from behind as well. _Probably fell and hit her head, _he thought looking at the huge puddle of blood beneath her, and the sheer cliff near by. _She's lost a lot of blood too… _he thought, a serious look on his face. _But how in MÄR Heaven did she end up with all these wounds!_ Several minor cuts went through her black pants staining it with blood, the crimson liquid still dripping from all the wounds as well. It was the same with her right arm as well, all together a huge puddle of blood.

Akio checked her pulse and breathing quickly to make sure she was alive, even if the chances of that even possible was slim! How she was still alive questioned him. She probably should have died from blood loss alone! _Her breaths are shallow and ragged, her pulse is decreasing!! I have to do something or else she'll die! _Akio quickly scavenged his pockets looking for something until he finally found it. It was a small necklace, shaped as a sword bandaged with wings on it.

"Holy ARM, Azumi" he whispered quietly hoping the ARM would heal her wounds, and that he had enough magical power to heal her as well. Her wounds quickly closed leaving no scar on her skin, almost as if those injuries were never there. He picked her up from that pool of blood, his hands dripping crimson. He looked at her quickly checking if she was alright. She didn't stir a bit, resting peacefully in his arms for the moment. _I hope she's ok…_

"Guys, I found someone injured. Can we take her back to the fort for her to rest? Or maybe stay?" he added shouting at his comrades far behind. He ran towards them at full speed, getting there in just a few seconds and repeated the question again.

"Yeah sure, I hope the boss will be ok with it though when he gets back" the one clad in green said, looking at the girl sadly.

"He's still in the War Games though, he won't be back anytime soon." the other one said.

"Besides, when was the last time he _couldn't _let a girl stick around" he added optimistically, nodding towards the girl in Akio's arms.

"I guess that settles that! Let's go back and let this girl rest, she's kind of heavy you know" Akio said a smile plastered on his face. She actually wasn't heavy at all, practically nothing in his arms.

"Dimension ARM, Andarta. Take everyone here home" Akio said holding up his ring.

They were instantly teleported back to their base, where many people turned to stare at the people who just returned. Their attention automatically focused at the newcomer in Akio's bloodied hands. Everyone there wore the symbol with two axes crossed on a black shield. There were a few murmurs though the crowd, their voices rippling through as Akio set her down on a nearby bench. The girl groaned slightly, but her eyes didn't open.

"She looks pretty weak…"

"Who is she? Someone from the streets?"

"I don't even see a single ÄRM on her!"

"She's just going to hold us back here…"

"I'll give her two weeks for her to last here in the Thieves' Guild"

"Hey, SHUT UP!!" A voiced yelled silencing any other voices like a blade cutting through water. Akio turned around to face them all, his eyes glaring with enough intensity to melt a pot.

"I brought her here cause' she was injured, and cause I chose to ok! Most of us here were like this too, helpless, on the verge of death, and with no home." He spat out. "So don't go saying stuff until you actually think about your own life!" They all looked at him in silence, comprehending what he said and went on to their usual business. The regular noises started back up again, some drinking, some eating, and some just plain talking, acting as if the scene never even happened. Akio let out a relieved sigh as he turned around it face the girl again.

He looked closely at the girl, and realized she had pale skin in contrast to her jet-black hair that covered her eyes. Akio noted her breathing seemed to be normal now, her chest rising and falling regularly. Akio sat down, next to where he head lay, waiting for her to wake up, a sad look discerning his features.

* * *

**A few hours later**

I woke up quickly, my eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room. I didn't hear any noises except for my own breathing. _I was saved then... _I let a small smile go on my face as I sat up, looking at my surroundings. The place looked like a tavern, completely made out of wood, along with everything else. Several round wooden tables were scattered around the room, huge wooden cups left astray on some of them as well. Someone had been there recently, that was for sure.

I surveyed the room slowly, looking for anyone or anything in sight.

"Hey, you're awake then" a voice said, breaking my thoughts. I immediately turned to the source of the voice, which happened to be right next to me. It came from a guy that looked around my age wearing a black shirt and white pants yawning. _He must have been asleep._

"You were injured pretty badly back there, what happened to you? Or may I ask, who are you?" the stranger asked politely.

"I have no idea honestly, I don't remember anything" I said shaking my head, realizing what my voice sounded like.

"Eh? Nothing? Not even your own name huh?" he questioned, surprised. "Weird... Another no-name…" I heard him mutter quietly. "Anyways my name's Akio, nice to meet ya' " He extended his hand as a gesture, but I just nodded and slumped against the wooden bench.

"You don't really talk much do ya'?" he said taking off his shirt. _Wait… He's taking off his shirt?!_ I quickly turned away from him, trying to hide my blushing face. Behind me I heard him laughing loudly.

"It's alright! You can turn around. Don't worry bout' it" he shouted. I slowly turned around my face slightly red, as I noticed he has a shirt underneath. It a plain black shirt, a symbol with two axes on the top left. The black shirt he was wearing earlier was in his hand, extended toward me.

"You might want to put this on instead" he said smirking, nudging the shirt towards me. I looked down at my clothes, noticing rips and tears all over them, as well as a lot of blood. Bandages were also wrapped all around my torso and stomach. I didn't comment on how they appeared there and took the shirt gratefully, putting it over my ruined tank-top.

"I might as well get you some new pants too." Akio said as he got up. "Also… Do you remember anything at all?" he question walking away. I quickly ran behind him to catch up and shook my head.

"I don't remember a thing…" I said as we walled silently through the fortress. We walked for awhile silently, until I felt something sharp poke me from inside my pocket.

"Ow" I murmured quietly as I reached into my pocket and pulled out something. It was a picture… Two people were in it, one a girl, one a boy, the boy a good head or so taller than the girl. He had long blonde hair covering his eyes as it ran down his back, his face in a genuine smile, a sharp tooth sticking out. His arms were crossed, a plain black T-shirt on with a pair of blue jeans on. _Kind of like Akio, _I thought.

The girl was wearing the opposite of him with a white T-shirt and black pants on, having jet-black hair instead of his blonde. Her arms were crossed below her chest, as her hair ran past her back and covered her eyes as well, but one dark-blue eye was visible, shining happily. A smile was carved on her face, the same as the guy next to her, together looking like opposites. They looked like night and day together in the picture, but both of them looked happy.

In the background was something that resembled a street, a few houses behind them, some grass, and the group was covered in dirt. They didn't look like people who would be friends with each other, and they only had a few similarities. They were both in the same position and their skin was pale.

"Hey, why'd you stop walking?" Akio asked curiously, turning around half-way to do so.

"Do you know who these people are?" I asked, holding up the picture. Akio walked up to me and took it from my hand. He glanced at the picture in a mixture of amusement and surprise, looking at me, his eyes glinting.

"The girl is you!" Akio said and laughed. "The guy… Well… let's just say I'll tell you about him later. Now come on." Akio continued dismissing the matter. He handed me back the picture as we continued walking, leaving me even more curious.

"Hold on I'll be right back no-name-chaaan!" Akio hopped cheerfully and left. _Is he…? Never mind, I don't want to know… _Akio came back a few seconds later, and tossed me a pair of white pants.

"Go and change, I promise I won't look" Akio normally, giving me a small smile to reassure me.

"Alright, but if you look your **dead**" I spoke giving him a death glare, while I waited for him to turn around. He only smiled lightly and turned his back to me. Once he did that I turned my back to him and started changing. After I was done, I tapped Akio's shoulder, and let a very small smile go on my face.

"You didn't look did you?" I asked suspiciously, handing him the torn up clothes.

"Nope, I swore I wouldn't" he replied grinning, throwing those clothes in the garbage. "Now in a few minutes the War Games will start, and we'll see our boss fighting. I'll also need to send a message to him also, ASAP."

"War Games? What are they? How will you get a message to him? Who's your boss anyway?" I asked bombarding him with questions.

"Whoa, whoa slow down!" he chucked. "This is Luberia the thieves guild! Our message system is second to none!" he shouted chuckling loudly. "And you don't know what the War Games are?" Akio asked returning to his normal voice. I shook my head as he started explaining.

"The War Games were created by the Chess Pieces who were trying to take over the MÄR Heaven World. They're very powerful and killed many of our comrades before and very recently too." Akio spoke bitterly. I couldn't help but throw a pitying glance at him, but he shrugged it off.

"They've killed and destroyed many other villages and towns, such as a town somewhat close to here named Vestry. The Chess created the War Games as a way to eliminate all who oppose them, killing the strong and creating fear in the weak. The last War Game was six years ago where the Chess Pieces were first formed, along with the Cross Guard who fought against them."

"Last time there was someone from the other world named Danna, who killed Phantom, who is the strongest of the Zodiac, but also died the same time Phantom did. The Zodiac is made up of the thirteen knights, Phantom as the strongest. All together their ranking goes, starting from the lowest: pawn, rook, bishop, knight, and the king and queen. Is that a good answer for you? Neh, neh? No-name-chaaaan!" Akio explained cheerfully.

"Thank you for that somewhat overly explained answer…" I muttered, irritated.

"I'm going to send a message to our leader" Akio said suddenly facing the doorway to the outside. "Can I send that picture too?" he asked politely.

"If it's ok, I want to keep it. It'll hopefully restore some sort of memory" I replied softly.

"That's fine; I'll send a message right away!" Akio shouted and ran off.

"I guess it is" I said to myself as I walked outside the fortress itself and sat down, leaning against the wooden building. I closed my eyes as I waited for Akio to come back.

I felt something shaking me as I opened my eyes. It was Akio trying to get me to look at him. _Guess I fell asleep…_

"What is it?" I muttered drowsily.

"The War Games are what's going on!" Akio replied irritated as he stopped shaking me. "And our boss just finished fighting!" He pointed towards the sun, as I saw it wasn't the sun, but something like a reflection. It showed something like a battleground, in a place I didn't know of.

"He already won y'know" Akio stated still pointing to the figure reflected there. A figure with blonde hair was shown close up covering his forehead, a bright red headband covering his eyes. He wore a red shirt as well a cross running through it diagonally. A huge grin was plastered on his face, probably since he won.

"That… looks like the guy in picture" I said blinking to see if what I was seeing wasn't a mirage.

"It probably is. That's our leader, Nanashi" Akio replied.

"Na…na…shi…" I repeated slowly, looking at the person shown curiously. "He who is without a name or nameless"

That's right" Akio replied. "He's kind of the same as you. You both were found close to Luberia; somewhere close to that same location you were found, the loss of memories and that picture in your pocket. Although, only you had picture" he added.

"Do you think he may have some sort of relation to me?" I asked curiously. "You think he could trigger some memories don't you?"

"Maybe… Yeah, I think it could trigger some memories" he replied. "That's why I sent the message"


	2. Nanashi appears

**(Nanashi's POV) 3rd Person**

**Reginrave Castle**

"Winner, Nanashi!" Several people cheered outside at Reginrave Castle as they waited for the hero's to return.

"Nice job, Nanashi!" Ginta yelled out, the blonde spiky haired boy smiling hugely. Team MÄR was transported instantly to Reginrave Castle.

"The heroes are back!" people shouted as they appeared. Some of them ran up to the victors, or teasing those who might have lost. A crowd of girls was around Nanashi as he flirted with some, or probably all of them.

"Hey! Boss!" someone yelled running towards him. (Ah, I don't really want to describe this guy. It's Moku, along with Chappu….) He stopped in front of Nanashi, a little kid trailing behind him, along with someone clad in blue.

"We've got a message for you from Luberia" one of them said as they panted. Nanashi moved a little ways from the crowd and stopped to raise an eyebrow at them.

"So what is it?" Nanashi asked. "Something serious since there's that look on your face?"

"Akio sent a message from Luberia" the one in blue replied. "A girl –" He was cut off by Nanashi.

"A girl?! Is she a hottie? What does she look like?"

"I don't know!" he continued hopelessly. "She was found a bit past the Luberian border with no memory. Akio found her and said it might have something to do with you."

"Akio huh?" Nanashi chuckled. "And more about the past…"

"Some picture was in her pocket with someone that resembled you. That's about all he said."

"Alright" Nanashi replied turning his back to them. "I might as well go back to Luberia and see this hottie!" he said cheerfully heading towards Reginrave Castle cockily. He threw the door open the door to Reginrave Castle.

"Hey guys! I'm headed to Luberia for a bit" he shouted and slammed the door.

"I wonder if it's another girl again…" Alviss sighed.

"Dimension ÄRM, Andarta. Take me… home" Nanashi said as he shut the door.

Back at Luberia

"So…When will this guy be here?" I asked as we walked outside.

"I don't know; want to train instead for – Oof!" Akio fell as someone appeared standing on top of him.

"Yo!" someone called, on top of Akio.

"Erm, can you get off him?" I asked pointing to Akio, a sweat drop appearing on my head.

"Huh?" he questioned confused and looked down.

"Get… off… me…" Akio wheezed, struggling helplessly.

"Sorry bout' that" the guy said, a huge smile across his face, as he jumped off Akio. "Soooo… Where's this new cutie in Luberia huh?" he asked goofily.

"If you mean the new girl I found? That's her right there" Akio said cheerfully, pointing to me. He instantly appeared at my side.

"Well" he said slyly, snaking his arm around my neck. "Would you like to go out or something cutie?" My eye twitched a bit at the last word. I pretended to smile at this guy and grabbed his arm.

"Oh? Is that a yes?" a huge smile appearing on his face.

"My answer… is no" I giggled in mock joy and I flipped him over. "Are you sure this is Nanashi?!" I half shouted half asked Akio.

"Yep go check yourself" Akio sighed, looking at us almost hopelessly. I took the picture out of my pocket and examined both of them closely.

"Yeah... They're the same..." I sighed, disappointed as Nanashi stood up and dusted himself off.

"You didn't have to throw me cutie!" Nanashi whined. "Also, let me take a look at the picture" he said normally swiping the picture out of my hand.

"HEY! Give that back!" I demanded trying to grab it back from his hands. He merely moved the picture above my head and faced the opposite direction of where I was, stopping my attempts with his free hand on my face. I flailed around wildly trying to grab it, my arms not reaching it at all.

"So…" Nanashi exaggerated. "It looks like me" he spoke to himself, looking at the picture intently, then examined me. It made me feel uneasy, stopping my arms from flailing, a weird look on my face.

"And this is you then. You have a name girlie?" he asked laying his hand on hip, his other one still on my face. I shook my head, moving his hand out of my face.

"Cutie has no name then? I can't name you Nanashi since that's my name…" Nanashi said placing a finger on his forehead. "So, I'll name you Muimei then, or Mei for short" a huge grin plastered on his face, and nodded. He held out the picture in from of me, as I hastily took it from him and shoved it back in my pocket.

"You don't have any magical power either, nor an ÄRM" he continued. Nanashi muttered something else inaudible, but I ignored it.

"What's an ÄRM?" I asked to both Akio and Nanashi, voicing my thoughts.

"Magical items infused with power, basically used as a weapon" Akio replied.

"Ok, so something like accessories from what I've seen so far?"

"Yeah" Nanashi and Akio said simultaneously. Akio took a ring off his finger, and Nanashi turned one of his own into some sort of lance. I blinked a few times to understand what was happening and took a cross out from underneath my shirt.

"What about this?" I asked curiously, fingering the material then took it off. I handed it to Akio, who looked at it surprised. He then handed it to Nanashi, who peered at it closely.

"It's an ÄRM alright, but I have no idea what it is!" Nanashi laughed goofily, another huge smile plastered on his face. Nanashi handing it back to me and patted me on the head. I ignored it and put my necklace back underneath my shirt.

"Well I'm going back to the War Games if business is done" Nanashi said suddenly. "Buh-bye" He held his Andarta in front of him. I quickly took Akio by the wrist and stood behind Nanashi, his back turned as I waited for him to say the words.

"Dimension ÄRM, Andarta. Take me to Reginrave Caste" he said. I grabbed his free arm quickly, before he finished, hoping we would be teleported with him. I thought I saw him turn around to face me, the same huge smile on his back, but maybe it was a hallucination. When we were in Reginrave Caste a second later, the back of Nanashi's head was towards me, as if it had never moved. _Maybe I imagined it, _I thought curiously and immediately let go of both of them.

"Hitched a ride huh cutie?" Nanashi chuckled, bending forward to stare at me with his smoldering dark-blue eyes, his lips curled in a huge grin. "Couldn't stay away from me hottie?" his smile broadening. _That sort of ruined it…, _I thought and smacked him in the head from both the words 'cutie' and 'hottie' a vein in my own head pulsing.

"Why'd you have to drag me along though, Mei-chaaan?" Akio asked innocently.

"You're copying off me aren't you Akio, although it is a nice nickname, eh Meiii-chan?" Nanashi asked in that childish way of his. I just ignored them both and turned my back to them, both of them laughing hysterically.

"Well then come on! I'll introduce you to Team MÄR since you're here anyways!" Nanashi said with his signature smile on his face. He grabbed me by the wrist almost dragging me. I walked forward like that following him, until I felt a cold gaze pierce through my head. I figured it was Akio's and took him by the wrist as well.

(Nanashi's POV) 3rd Person

"What am I doing leading a train?" Nanashi laughed as he led them into Reginrave Castle. As soon as they walked through the door Ginta appeared in front of them, a worried look on his face.

"Where were you Nanashi!? I thought the Chess Pieces took you!" Ginta yelled, looking half-worried half-angry.

"I said I was going to Luberia" Nanashi spoke calmly and let go of Mei's wrist, while she dropped Akio's.

"Oh yeah" Ginta said thoughtfully, remembering. "Who or they though Nanashi?" he asked, pointing to Akio and Mei.

"They're Luberians. Akio the guy, Mei the girl" Nanashi said, pointing at each of them in turn.

"Hi" they both said sweet and short. Akio's cheerful, while Mei's was full of boredom.

"Hey Nanashi" a voice said, blue hair appearing behind Ginta. "You created a bit of chaos leaving like that; Ginta went into a frenzy…" A sweat drop appeared on the boy's head, it was Alviss after all. He was soon followed by Bell and everyone else in Team MÄR.

"Who'd you bring?" a sweet voice spoke, owner to the long pink-haired girl named Dorothy.

"These are my Luberian comrades, Akio and Mei. Mei just came into the Thieves' Guild today" Nanashi replied. "Meet Ginta, Alviss, Dorothy, Alan, Jack, and Bell, and the other way around" he continued, pointing to each of them in turn.

"Is it alright if they stay here for now?" Nanashi asked to no one in general.

"Sure, but why'd you bring them anyways Nanashi?" Ginta asked confused.

"I had no choice, they grabbed on to me when I used Andarta" he chuckled.

"They look to be as old as Snow and Ginta" Alan spoke, stepping forward. Nanashi shrugged and compared both of them.

"It settles where these guys can stay for now right?"

"Yeah it does" Alviss said, voicing his opinion. Nanashi felt someone staring at him from behind and noticing Mei staring at him carefully. Her eyes flickered to everyone in front of her when he turned around a bit. _She isn't really looking at us though… Can she sense magical power? Or maybe… Even see it?, _Nanashi thought curiously, his attention returning to the members of Team MÄR.

"Alright, thanks" Nanashi said suddenly and walked off, leaving everyone else surprised.

"Well that was…" Alviss started, trying to find the word he was looking for.

"Pointless" Bell finished.

(Mei's POV)

I just shrugged as everyone went of to do their own thing. _These people… They have some sort of aura around them, I just noticed it now. Akio and Nanashi have it too. Maybe I'll ask someone… _I looked at all of them again, except Akio and Nanashi since Nanashi wasn't there, to see which one had the most or the strange aura. The one named Alan seemed to have a lot and so did Ginta, but Ginta seemed to be a bit dumb to understand what I was going to ask, and Alan… he's just plain intimidating! I looked at the rest of them.

It seemed it was between the pink-haired girl and the spiky blue-haired guy. _I'm not going to ask Mr. Stoic, that's no fun… _I stuck with Dorothy instead; she seemed to have a major amount of it. It danced like fire around hear, flowing freely in a large area. _She seems nice enough, _I thought calmly as I walked up to her.

"Hey Dorothy?" I asked politely

"Whaddya want kid?" she replied annoyed, stopping to face me.

"Geez... I thought you were going to be the nice, sane one" I replied dully. Dorothy blinked in surprised, trying to figure out if what I said was a compliment or an insult.

"I just wanted to ask a question" I said, taking advantage of the silence. "What this blue, um… aura I see around everyone?"

"Blue aura you say? You mean magical power?" she asked curiously.

"Maybe, do I have any then?" I asked excited. She started to study me a little bit, although it kind of freaked me out.

"You have a bit, not much thought" she concluded. "Looks like you got an ÄRM on you though" She pointed to the chain of a necklace hanging around my neck. I took the necklace off quickly and handed it to her. Dorothy looked surprised, but examined it nevertheless.

"That's a pretty rare ÄRM you got there" Dorothy said slyly. "It's called double edged, not because it hurts the user though" she said, noting my surprised face. "There are two different forms. The first is called 'Unknown' and can be turned into any weapon of your choice. The second form…" she stopped abruptly, looking to see if there was anyone nearby. She motioned for me to follow as I did so confused**.**


	3. A New ÄRM and Training

**A/N: **This chapter will mostly take place in Nanashi's POV 3rd person, and make Muimei here say something for me. MEI! -holds sword in hand- Oh, and I'm sorry my chapters are short .. and any mistakes I may have made...

Mei: ... The author does not own MÄR or any of its characters. Only me and Akio...and our ÄRMs... and the scenarios she puts us in.

Akio: Mei-chan! How are ya' today?

Mei: Zip it Akio! I'm not in a good mood right now! -punches him in the face- -mutters something inaudiable-

Author: Sorry for any OCCness ;;;... The stuff below you probably already know...

_Thoughts and Flashbacks.  
_"Mei" - Talking.  
-slap- Action.  
**Die **- Emphasis.

-random screams of pain and punches heard in the background- (O-O'' No comment..)

* * *

**(Mei's POV)**

We walked silently as we passed by the Cross Guard, Alan. I saw Dorothy take an ÄRM sticking out of his pocket, but he didn't even notice. I raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing as we entered a room. I'm guessing it was Dorothy's since she started talking.

"That ÄRM, its second form is a guardian, but the thing is…" Dorothy narrowed her eyes. "A person's spirit can reside in there, never really in Heaven or Hell… Not even really in MÄR Heaven itself." she spoke sadly.

"Well it lives in a separate with all other guardians I think!" Dorothy said happily. I looked at her surprised. _Whoa… Weird personality change… But, a person who can neither go to Heaven or Hell, a place stuck in between... _I realized something.

"Dorothy does that mean there's someone inside my necklace then?!" I shouted, voicing my thoughts. She was taken aback by the question but answered.

"I don't know, you'd have to call it out" she replied calmly, as I nodded.

"Guardian ÄRM, Unknown" I summoned quietly, feeling the said ÄRM sucking some kind of energy from me. It was weird, but I felt something tugging inside me waiting to be released. I obeyed and mentally released it. A huge burst of energy pulsed through me suddenly, catching me off guard. I stifled a gasp, and staggered backwards slightly. I immediately tried to snuff out the power, reducing it to half. The ÄRM had glowed purple and began to talk, sucking little by little the new source of energy I had found.

"Who's spirit would you like to reside in here?" it boomed. I immediately snuffed out completely the source of power, and dropped the ÄRM as it stopped glowing.

"Do… ro... thy…?" I asked, my voice almost shaking. "What was that weird… um power?" I asked looking at her.

"Magical power, the same one that I think you see" she replied calmly again. I looked at her surprised.

"H-How did you figure that out?" I asked surprised, putting my necklace back on.

"Your eyes haven't really been looking at us, but the air around us. I was guessing it was magical power" Dorothy replied. "How about we find out your element affinity then? I was hoping to get you to try out some ÄRMs"

"But?" I replied, knowing she left something out. She pointed to the door silently, as I saw two different waves of blue outside the door.

"Nanashi… Akio…" I muttered as I walked to the door. I yanked the door quickly as they both fell in on top of each other. Unfortunately Akio was on the bottom… again.

"Oww…" Akio whimpered helplessly, Nanashi trying to get up off him. I immediately closed the door in their faces, a loud yelp in reply.

"So, what were you going to say Dorothy?" I smirked. She pointed to the door again, as I did so annoyed. I opened the door quickly, revealing a very... angry… Alan… He was fuming mad, his magical power growing each second! gulp

"Doro…thy…" I stammered turning my head slowly towards her, my mouth dry. "Y-You'd better come here…" I said nervously stepping out of the doorway. Alan quickly barged inside and slammed the door behind him. Sadly Nanashi and Akio one again, got hit by the door when he slammed it…

"DOROTHY!" he boomed. "My ÄRM!" he shouted, putting out a hand. She just shrugged and calmly gave it to him.

"What were you planning to do with it anyways?" Alan asked, calming down. "When was the last time you ever wanted to train in the first place?"

"I didn't want to train!" she retorted. "Dorothy-chan shouldn't have to train." she crossed her arms. "I wanted to train this girl here and find out what element she's aligned with. Although I already think I know what it is…"

"Why didn't you just ask…?" Alan replied, looking at her puzzled.

"Good point…" Dorothy muttered, puzzled as well. Alan just sighed as a huge silver door slammed into the ground. It made of purely metal, engravings written on the sides as it creaked open, showing a swirly yellow inside. Dorothy handed me a couple ÄRMs as I put them on and jumped inside. _I am__supposed to go inside right?_ I wondered.

**Nanashi (a couple minutes before)**

Nanashi walked around the corridors a minute or so after he had sensed everyone had split up. He followed Dorothy's and Mei's magical power on a hallway adjacent to them, so he wouldn't be noticed. Nanashi stopped, his hands still placed behind his head, relaxed.

"Akio, how long do you plan on following me like that?" Nanashi spoke calmly, not even bothering to turn around and look. Just as he had said, Akio came around from around the corner, disappointed.

"How long did you know..." Akio asked quietly, narrowing his eyes.

"Awhile" Nanashi replied bluntly and started walking again, Akio following him. They walked like that for awhile, not even bothering to talk. _They stopped moving… Now what in the world could they be up to? _Nanashi thought curiously. The duo had appeared in front of a wooden door, sensing Dorothy and Mei's magical power.

"Dorothy's room?" he asked himself. "Now what could the two cuties be doing in there?" he asked himself again, amused. Nanashi put his ear next to the door, Akio doing the same.

"I can't hear anything" Akio whispered, complaining. "Only bits pieces…" Nanashi merely nodded, trying to listen in as well. _Now we'll find out…_

"…spirit… reside…" he heard a garbled voice say. _Who's that?! _

"Dor….thy" he heard what he thought was Mei's voice. Nanashi tried to connect the pieces. _Would she do something to Dorothy's spirit? What was that pulse of magical power?!_

"…can tell… eyes" Nanashi recognized this as Dorothy. "Try…. ÄRMs" she spoke again. _ÄRMs? Wait… Does that mean…_

"Akio, move!" Nanashi half-shouted, half-whispered to Akio urgently. Akio looked at him confused, just before he fell in through the door, Nanashi along with him.

"Oww…" Akio whimpered helplessly, as Nanashi tried to get up and off him, but to no avail. He looked up to Mei's irritated face before she slammed the door into both their faces! Akio let out a loud yelp as it hit him, as well as Nanashi. They both fell backwards this time, both of them rubbing their faces in pain.

"I told you" Nanashi grinned widely, standing up, once again it was that same signature grin if his.

"We shouldn't lean on the door anymore" Akio sighed, scratching the back of his head. Nanashi nodded but heard loud footsteps behind him. He turned curiously at the sound, but he immediately turned pale, looking like a little kid about to be beat up. . It was Alan… his magical power visibly seen in a dark-red, flaring violently.

Nanashi and Akio quickly dashed away, Alan was on the verge of literally killing someone… Akio pulled out a hot dog on a wooden stick from out of nowhere and stood behind him, putting the hot dog in the middle of the magical power. It incinerated in a matter of seconds… He whimpered quietly and backed away, looking at the charred remains of his hot dog… Alan glared at him, his eyes flaming with rage, even worse than when you mess with Phantom on a bad day!

Akio was slapped roughly by Alan and hit a wall, crying like a puppy. Nanashi kneeled before him, his hands clasped and his eyes closed. Tears were streaming out of Akio's eyes, a red mark on his cheek as he didn't even move from his awkward position of being plastered to the wall backwards.

"Please grant this here Akio a safe trip to this next life" Nanashi prayed, a slight smile tugging at his lips. _Well… This is worse than getting attacked by ÄRMs... _sweatdrop Mei happened to open the door at the moment looking very irritated, failing to notice Akio plastered to a wall, but immediately saw Alan instead. Her expression instantly changed from irritated to well, scared.

Nanashi was startled by Mei's face, as well as Akio who had just landed upside down on his head. They didn't think she'd be the sort of person to be scared easily! Well then again, it wasn't every day you saw Alan like that…

"Doro…thy…" she stammered, her face pale as she turned her head slowly. "Y-You'd better come here…" Mei stepped out of the doorway as Alan barged inside, Nanashi and Akio trying to follow. Once again the door was slammed into their faces, this time by Alan. Akio let out a sigh and stood by the door, they didn't even need to go any closer. Every single word was easily heard through the door.

"DOROTHY!" Alan shouted. " My ÄRM!" There was a slight moment of silence before he continued again.

"What were you planning to do with it anyways?" _ÄRM?_ "When was the last time you ever wanted to train in the first place?"

"I didn't want to train!" he heard Dorothy. "Dorothy-chan shouldn't have to train. I wanted to train this girl here and find out what element she's aligned with. Although I think I already know what it is…"

"Why didn't you just ask…?"

"Good point…" Nanashi heard a huge slam inside, and all conversation stopped._ Mei? Training? Does the girl have __**any** magical power even?!_Akio turned to him, a mirror reflection of their expressions, surprise. Nanashi immediately went into the room, Akio following.

"How long is Mei-chan going to be in there?" Nanashi asked calmly, although inside he was puzzled as well as a bit… angry?

"Not that long" Dorothy replied, looking at Nanashi strangely. "Half a day, about nightfall today"

"Why are you asking?" Alan intervened. "You actually worried or something?" Nanashi ignored him and asked another question instead.

"Can I help train her then?" he asked a slight smile on his face. Dorothy looked at Nanashi surprised, as well as Akio.

"S-Sure…" Dorothy stammered. "Just wait a bit though, let her figure out what's going on." Alan opened the Gate of Training anyways as Nanashi jumped in regardless, leaving Akio and everyone else behind.

"When you get there it'll probably be a day maybe!" Dorothy called out as the door started to close. Nanashi fell to the forest below him, a good place away from Mei he assumed. He walked a short a way till he saw Mei. She was in an open clearing; there was nothing but dirt and ruins. He quickly hid behind a tree and observed her. He was at the edge of the forest after all.

_Looks a lot like the place Akio described when she was found… _Stone pillars were scattered across the ground, as well as a platform nearby. Nanashi watched as Mei experimented with many different ÄRMs. There was only one she seemed to like in particular though, an ÄRM that shot straight lines of lightning. They were almost like orbs that bended to her will and shot at whatever she pleased.

Nanashi noticed her mutter something as the necklace around her neck began to glow a bright blue. Mei still spoke as it had turned into a sword that looked to be made out of lightning itself, all except the hilt and guard. She started hopping from pillar to pillar with amazing speed, attacking what seemed to be a rock in the center. It was sliced in a matter of seconds into dust.

The ground had started to shake as several stone monsters had come out. Mei didn't even look fazed as she seemed to fuse her magical power with her sword, becoming synced with it. Nanashi wolf-whistled from afar, _She's already has a slight sixth sense and a fair amount of magical power! I'm kind of impressed Mei-chan. _She had already taken out all the monsters while Nanashi was thinking. Mei swung her sword in his direction, a bolt of lightning erupting from it, whizzing past Nanashi's face. It had barely missed…

"Who's there!?" she yelled, her magical power spiking up, her eyes glaring in his direction. Nanashi merely stepped out from where he was hiding and revealed himself. Mei seemed to relax as her sword returned back to her necklace.

"N-Nanashi" she stuttered, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to help you with your training cutie" Nanashi replied and winked, walking towards Mei until there were facing each other.

"Alright, but what are we going to do?" Mei asked curiously.

"You'll find out, but first let's see what you got!" Nanashi stated, crossing his arms a huge grin on his face. Mei blinked in surprised a spaced out a second, but shook it off. _Wonder what that was… _(A/N I'm not too good at fight scenes so you know.. Sorry..)

"Hey you ready yet?" Mei asked him, her sword appearing in her hands. She attacked him without thinking as Nanashi avoided easily. Nanashi didn't saw anything as his own weapon appeared in his hands.

"Well I wasn't but let's start anyways!" Nanashi smiled again. Mei started attacking amateurishly, Nanashi flipped around her attacks easily, laughing loudly. He didn't bother attacking and dodged her attacks easily.

"Is that all Mei-chan?" Nanashi mocked his signature smile on his face. "I'm disappointed" Mei didn't reply, but instead her magical power rose and she started attacking even faster. There was more power in her attacks as Nanashi had to start blocking them with his Griffin Lance. She front flipped, aiming for a kick to his head along with an overhead blow, but Nanashi blocked them both.

"Not bad Mei-chan!" he complimented. He thrust his lance forward, aiming for her stomach. Mei parried the block easily as Nanashi started to show some of his skills. She rolled under the reach of the reach of the lance and tried to stab him, but Nanashi back flipped to avoid it. A few feints were thrown but were easily interpreted. Nanashi merely grinned; Mei wasn't able to get past his defense at all!

She looked calm, but Nanashi knew she was frustrated from the way she started attacking. It was sloppy, and they were even easier to predict. Mei thrust with her sword as Nanashi as he parried it easily, and started a few attacks of his own. He only aimed an inch or so away from any real contact so she wouldn't get hurt. _Now let's see what she does now… _Nanashi flicked her sword out of her hand, as she immediately back flipped to try and get it.

Nanashi let her as he charged forward, Mei trying to block his attacks. Her magical power fused once again with her sword, as her concentration became more focused. More feints were thrown and parried, both of them moving at high speeds, both of them sustaining no injuries. He thrust the lance at her again, hitting Mei's sword dead on. It shattered into pieces to the surprise of Nanashi right before their eyes. He kept attacking nevertheless, as Mei tried to avoid all of them.

"What are you going to do now Mei-chan?" he questioned, leaving no opening in his attacks, but really showing any strength still. She back flipped and landed on her hands, jumping forward and front flipping when Nanashi got close, aiming a kick for his head. He stepped backwards at the last minute, avoiding the kick Mei had aimed at him. Mei smirked as she continued to dodge his attacks, but didn't say a word.

"Now what could you be smilin' about?" he questioned. Nanashi barely noticed, but there was a slight change in the flow of magical power. Mei tried to gain distance away from him, avoiding his attacks. Nanashi let he get a couple yards away, curious as to see what she would do next. She separated her hands, kind of like what Nanashi would with his Electric Eye, but waved it together as if controlling something. Nanashi looked at her curiously, his Griffin Lance lying idly against his leg. _What is she going to do now?..._

"Look up" she smirked, her stance rigid. Nanashi knew something was coming but he obliged and did as he was asked. Shards and shards of seemingly endless amounts of lightning were pointed at him, all of them about the size of needles. They were long and crackled with electricity; he was completely surrounded by them from above and the sides. To say Nanashi was astounded was an understatement; he didn't think Mei would be able to do something like that!

Mei crossed her hands together and waved a complicated amount of hand motions. The shards obliged to the command as Nanashi put away his Griffin Lance in a hurry. Lightning rained down at Nanashi from just about every distance, leaving no room to dodge or hide, only defend or get hit.

"Electric Eye!" Nanashi shouted as lightning connected with each shard, drowning out his voice and created a huge explosion. A split-second instinct, but it saved him from being severely injured. Mei wasn't able to see the attack because of the smoke though, and mistook the explosion to be her doing.

"Nanashi!" he heard Mei call distantly. "Are you alright!?" Nanashi coughed lightly from the smoke as her voice got slightly louder.

"Nanashi!?" he heard again. Nanashi ran out of the smoke, putting his scarf in front of his mouth so he wouldn't cough as much. He looked around to find Mei, not wanting her to worry about him. Nanashi was able to quickly get out of that explosion without a scratch on him. _Impressive, she caught me by surprise by making myself believe I broke her sword! _Nanashi saw Mei come out of the smoke, looking very relieved when she saw him.

"Nanashi, you're alright!" she called out happily. "You had me worried there!" Mei ran up to him smiling, looking very relieved. Nanashi was surprised by her reaction and stroked her hair as if to calm her.

"I'm fine Mei!" he chuckled. "I'm the Leader of Luberia after all! Don't underestimate me!" he noted her slight blush, and removed his hand. "Don't worry about me getting hurt alright?" Mei nodded, looking guilty still, but seemed to relax a bit. Nanashi did as well, but at that exact moment Mei had unexpectedly decided to hug him.

"Wha—" Nanashi said surprised as he staggered back a step. He looked down at Mei surprised, but hugged her back relieved. _From a battle to this! What are you going to do next Mei-chan, _he chuckled internally. Nanashi pushed her lightly off his as he stared at her, a lop-sided smile on his face.

"Thanks Nanashi" she smiled, seeming back to her normal self. Nanashi merely returned the smile.

"How about we stop training for now?" he asked as Mei nodded. She walked off into the forest somewhere, unknown to Nanashi. _I'll just leave her alone for now… _Nanashi thought as he watched Mei's retreating back disappear into the forest. He called out his Griffin Lance as he started training by himself.


	4. Familiar and conflicting feelings

**A/N: **I do not own MÄR or any of it's characters.

Mei: Only me, Akio, our ÄRMs and the scenarios the author puts us in...

Author: Sorry for any OCCness. Oh yea, please vote on the poll on my profile D!!

* * *

**(Mei)**

I walked into the forest, questioning myself to why I hugged him in the first place. _Why did I do that!? It's not something I'd usually do… Why? Is it because of this weird feeling when I'm with him? _I tried to calm myself down, as I soon found myself in front of a river. I didn't remember exactly where I was, so all I did was stare at my reflection. My face was a slight pink, and my eyes reflected something I couldn't quite put my finger on…

I washed my face and drank from the river, returning my cheeks to its normal color. I was still pondering over what had happened merely minutes ago. _Why?... Ha, is that all I can ask myself? _I chuckled. _Memories maybe? Nah, I can't blame it on something I can't even remember! _A new thought suddenly crossed my mind. _How were things like before?... _I picked a small purple fruit from a tree nearby and ate it slowly. It wasn't something I had tasted before.

I stood up from where I was and headed back to the open moorland. I stood at the borderline watching Nanashi train by himself with his Griffin Lance. He seemed to more complex tactics and movements from when he was fighting me earlier. He probably used it in actual battle as well.

_Heck.. Why not… _I activated my Lightning Sword and released about half of my magical power at once. I wasn't sure if I could control letting all of it out at once… I quickly ran and attacked Nanashi from the side silently. It was easily blocked as he smirked and so did I. (Once again, I'm sorry I'm too good at fight scenes /)

"So you came back?" he questioned surprised, the both of us a meter away from each other. I merely nodded and gave it my all, attacking full force. I aimed an attack for his head, as he ducked and tried to stab me. I front flipped to avoid it and aimed a kick for his head and well as an overhead cut again. He merely moved forward, and attacked me while I was in the air, making it hard for me to maneuver around.

My attacked increased rapidly as he parried and blocked each of them, move for move. _Ah, skip the cautious stuff! _I released to rest of my magical power, trying to focus all of it into my sword. It was weird but it seemed as if my ÄRM and I had almost fused together, synchronizing.

I wasn't sure how, but I noticed something else, almost like seeing something other than your eyes, an instinct almost. I noticed opening in Nanashi's attacks I didn't notice before and used them to my advantage. He looked at me surprised, but only made it harder for me to defend. Mixtures of feints and attacks rang throughout the clearing, our weapons almost looking like shadows.

"I think that's good enough for today" Nanashi stated, holding up a hand. We returned out respective weapons back into their original forms. I had managed to go through the battle with only a small cut on my right shoulder and left arm.

"Yeah… Hey Nanashi, just wondering but are you not using a certain ÄRM or something?" I asked curiously, my magical power decreasing on its own.

"Yeah, I haven't been using two of them. I'm not going to use a Guardian ÄRM on you, but the other you will probably see later on." Nanashi replied.

"Alright, it's already nightfall anyways" I replied pointing at the sky. Nanashi looked up surprised, staring up at the clear night sky. I took out two pieces of fruit from my pocket and tossed one to Nanashi as he caught it. I took a bite from mine as Nanashi did the same.

"Mei, I want to give you something" he said suddenly reaching for something in his pocket as he walked up to me. (-cough- Hope I didn't disappoint anyone there –smirk– )I noticed I was a noticeably shorter than Nanashi, to think I just barely saw that now. He seemed to find what he was looking for and looked at me again.

"Turn around" he said, or probably ordered. I just did as I was asked and wondered what he was going to do. A dark-red cloth was placed just above my eyes and underneath my hair. I felt a know tied behind my head and waited till he was done before I turned to face him. I looked at him curious and touched the cloth on my forehead.

"Hey! It's just like yours!" I shouted, finally understanding as it fell on my eyes. I adjusted it a bit and tightened the knot behind my head.

"Why's you give me this?..." I asked curiously.

"I wanted to?" Nanashi replied confused, his visible eye looking towards me. It was a dark-blue color, the same as mine… I just nodded as we just stood there in silence. A minute or so past as we continued staring at each other, waiting for someone to say something.

"So—" we both started and then stopped.

"Uh, you go first!" I said hurriedly.

"Ladies first" he replied smoothly.

"Gah!" I shouted out frustrated. "Just go first…"

"I don't remember what I was going to say…" Another silence…

"I don't know what I was going to say either…" We just stood there again staring at each other… again…

"Um I'm just going to go and sleep… Night' " I said awkwardly, waving my hand as I left. He merely waved as well and stayed behind for some reason. I heard him mutter something before I left, something about 'Peta' and 'revenge'.

**(Nanashi) 3rd person POV**

"If you do anything to Mei-chan Peta, there's going to be more to my revenge" he muttered under his breath as he watched her leave again. Nanashi walked towards a separate part of the forest pondering over things.

_Something about Mei-chan… She just seems so familiar for some reason. _He chuckled lightly to himself. _Well even if I don't know why I want to. I'll protect her no matter what, it's just… Well I don't know what…_ Nanashi soon found Mei-chan lying on the ground, her gaze intent on the night sky. He sat down next to her, her gaze not leaving the sky.

"You alright?" he questioned facing her, no reply… "Mei? Muimei…? Mei-chan?" He kept repeating her name, trying to get her to answer.

"Yeah I'm fine" she replied suddenly. "I'm just thinking…" she replied. Nanashi opened his mouth to reply, but Mei decided to talk first.

"About what's happened recently, and the past that I've lost" she continued, taking out the picture from her pocket. Nanashi took the picture to look at it for a couple seconds then gave it back. Mei took it and put it back in her pocket, hands behind her head. Nanashi watched, or rather heard Mei fall asleep as her breaths became even and shallow.

Nanashi stayed up awhile as he finished the fruit Mei had gave him and continued to think. Mei turned toward his in her sleep, hands placed in front of her. He heard her mumble a bit, and for a split second he though he had heard his name. He listened to Mei mumble a bit in hr sleep, curious.

"Nanash-kun?" he heard her mumble. _Nanash-kun? That's not bad… _"What's Akio-chan doing here?..." _Akio-__**chan**__?_He chuckled to himself quietly at Akio new name. He watched her silently as she stopped talking and fell into a deep sleep. Soon enough he fell asleep as well.

"Nanashi?" he heard distantly. "Nanashi?" he heard someone whisper in his ear. "Wake up… Can you get off me?" Nanashi heard again.

"Mei?" he replied drowsily, opening his eyes. He was face flat on the ground, seeing grass in his line of view, but he also felt something or something underneath him… squirming.

"Yeah, now **please** move!" he heard Mei again. He got up an arm-length apart and saw Mei, well uh beneath him. Nanashi rubbed his eyes with one hand to make sure it wasn't a hallucination. Nope, Mei was still there.

"What are you doing there?" he asked dumbly. Mei merely glared at him, trying to tell him to move. Nanashi blinked a couple more time to try and fully register what was going on. Mei had turned very red in the face, and Nanashi was trying to figure out why. Their foreheads were just about touching right now from Nanashi being sleepy. _Ping! _He finally figured it out and actually had the decency to blush as well and quickly moved. Mei got up as well, and Nanashi couldn't tell if she was blushing or really mad…

"Sorry about that" he said, going with the choice she's probably mad.

"It's fine Nanash-kun" she murmured quietly, rubbing her head.

"Nanash-kun?" he repeated, grinning widely .Mei just realized what she had said and her eyes widened.

"You were just waiting for that weren't you…" she replied moving her head so he couldn't see and got up. Nanashi got up as well and shook his head.

"Yosh! (Alright!)" Nanashi called out suddenly, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Wanna train again, Mei-chan?" Nanashi asked stretching.

"Sure" she replied facing him. "Have you been going easy on me this whole time though?" Nanashi didn't answer and brought out his Griffin Lance.

"You'll have to find out!" he shouted happily and he attacked, Mei's sword already out.

**Meanwhile, in the outside world (3rd Person Akio)**

"Are they going to be back soon?" Akio whined, leaning on the wall close by. "So mean of Nanashi to just abandon me here!"

"Yes they're going to be back soon, so quit asking!" Alan replied annoyed. Dorothy decided to come into the room, followed by Ginta, Alviss, and Bell…

"Ehh? Why are you guys here?" Akio asked curiously. They ignored him and had their own conversation.

"Nanashi's in there?" Ginta asked Dorothy.

"When did he want to train?" Alviss asked. "He usually spends most of his time flirting with girls…" A sudden realization hit him. "Is there a girl inside there?"

"Al" Bell whined. "Pay attention to me!" Everyone ignored her, but Akio gritted his teeth and covered his ears. Dorothy had decided to answer Ginta's question though.

"Yes he's inside the training gate Gin-taaan !" Dorothy replied sweetly. Alviss just replied with a short 'hn' and minded his own business. A loud creaking sound filled the room as everyone turned towards the noise. The doors had opened and a gush of light had filled the room momentarily as well.

A figure with long black hair jumped out, a red headband covering the person's eyes. The person also wore a black T-shirt with a single line running through it and white pants.

"Hey Nanashi!" Ginta yelled running towards the person. "Oi…" Ginta said suddenly looking at the person again. The said person just twitched at the name 'Nanashi' but said nothing.

"Nanashi…?" Ginta asked curiously. "Why'd you dye your hair and clothes black? Did you shrink too?" he asked confused.

"Baka…" Alviss muttered. Bell looked at Ginta hopelessly and Dorothy put a hand on her head. Another person jumped out of the gate at that time with long blonde hair, a red bandana covering his eyes.

"Hey! Did ya' guys miss me!?" the person asked a huge smile on his face. Ginta looked at the two figures curiously.

"Ano… Which one of you is Nanashi?" Ginta asked confused. –cue face fault- (everyone…)

"How can you forget which one is me Ginta?!" Nanashi shouted.

"So which of you guys is Nanashi?" he asked again.

"Idiot…" Alviss intervened. "The blonde one is Nanashi!"

"Then who's the other one?"

"That's Mei-chan Ginta…" –Nanashi…

"But you guys look similar…" -Ginta

"It's not that hard!"

"Do I **look **like a guy to you!?" Mei shouted, flames appearing behind her. –sweatdrop Ginta and Nanashi- Mei ran up to Ginta and started to punch him in the face repeatedly yelling random words.

"Idiot!"

"Oww! Plea— Ow! Stop!"

"I AM" Slap! Kick! Punch! "NOT" Punch! "A GUY!"

"SOMEONE! OW. HEL—AHH!" Smack!

"PLEASE!" Slap! Mei continues to continually slap and back-slap Ginta. (Lol Imagine it yourself xD) –sweatdrop Nanashi and Alviss-

"Don't hurt my Ginta!" Dorothy yelled trying to pry her off him.

"Shouldn't we be helping?..." Alviss asked watching the scene calmly.

"Nah" Nanashi replied smirking. A few minutes later, Dorothy finally got Mei off him and Ginta's face was beaten in badly. This resulted in evil glares from Mei who was now tied up in the corner.

"Someone mind getting these ropes off me?!" Mei shouted. "Nanash-kun!? Alviss? Bell!?" Mei rethought the last person. "Never mind Bell would only annoy me to death…"

"HEY!" Bell shouted angrily, puffing her cheeks up.

"Since when did you start calling him Nanash-kun, Mei-chan?" Akio asked, finally joined the conversation.

"Just get me out of these ropes Akio…" Mei sighed. Akio just did what she asked as she rubbed her wrists.

"Thanks" she replied simply and got up. Dorothy immediately went in front of Ginta, Zephyrus Broom in front of her. Mei ignored her and walked out the door to everyone's confusion.

"Wait!" Akio called running after her. "Mei! I forgot!"He bolted out the door after her, as everyone just stared in silence at the ajar door.

**(Mei)**

I walked out the door hoping to actually look around the castle a bit, considering I never actually got the chance to.

"Mei! Wait up!" I heard a voice call behind me. I turned around to see Akio running up to catch up to me. He panted slightly and looked to face me.

"I forgot… I'll show you where you're staying for now" He looked up at me and walked ahead. Akio led me to a small bedroom, a single square window built into the wall. It was a plain room, the paint white and a small bed near the window. A desk was also set up next to it. It was a pretty ordinary room, but that's where I was going to stay.

"This is where you'll be staying" Akio explained. "My room is next to yours on the right, and Team MÄR is situated down the hall and to the left." he continued leaning on the doorframe as I walked inside. I gave him a slight smile and sat on the bed. Akio smiled back and left the room.

_Good he's gone! Now I can actually look around! _I jumped off the bed I was sitting on and exited the room quietly, not seeing Akio anywhere. I placed my hands over my head and started to look around; it seemed so peaceful when everyone seemed to be asleep. I soon made it to the top of Reginrave Castle and walked around

The place seemed almost mystical somehow, but only to me. To my right there were a few scattered ruins, while arches loomed above me. _This place must have been destroyed a while ago…_ I thought curiously. _Didn't rebuild it yet either… _Intricate designs and carvings decorated the ground and ruins, etched into the stone like a secret message.

The full moon shone brightly, hanging above the castle ground perfectly. I walked towards the end of the caste, looking at the surroundings below. A huge forest was spread out below, the different shades of green and blue blending together perfectly. A single river ran through the forest, and even from here the stars were reflected in its water.

A cool breeze ruffled through my hair, almost as if trying to tell me something, something unknown. Something seemed to call out to me, yet I couldn't grasp it. _Sort of like my memories that have been avoiding me lately, _I mused. I let out a sigh and bent down to sit at the very edge, but someone's voice decided to stop me.

"Mei!" I heard someone shot. A guy's voice, it sounded familiar, but at the time I couldn't recall who it was. It was almost as if I was in a trance. I stood erect, trying to shake away my thoughts. I turned to look and my eyes widened who I saw who it was. It was Akio! His golden eyes seemed to be wide in shock, utterly speechless for some reason.

"Akio?..." I muttered, surprised he was here. He ran towards me quickly and yanked my wrist, making me fall into his arms. Akio let this be for about a second and started shaking me.

"Mei! What were you about to do?! What were you thinking?!" he shouted in my ear and shook me.

"Akio stop!" I shouted. "You're giving me a headache!" I pushed him an arms length away and looked at him curiously.

"What are you talking about Akio?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes.

"You **were** going to jump off right?" he looked at me confused. I looked at him with a weird expression on my face. Akio suddenly became fidgety and realized he was wrong.

"Uh… Sorry, it just seems like…" Akio hesitated, feeling like a fool. I just shook my head at him.

"It's fine" I sighed, as Akio relaxed. He suddenly hugged me tightly cutting off my air supply, his face brushing against my ear.

"Sorry" he murmured. "I just assumed…" I let out an uneasy laugh and tried to get him off me.

"Akio…" I wheezed. "I can't breathe!"

"Huh?" he looked at me curiously and let go. I immediately took a deep breath and Akio scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry?" he laughed uneasily. _Wait…_

"So why are you here in the first place?" I asked curiously, dismissing the matter.

"Well…" he drawled, looking up at the sky as if to remember. "You suddenly disappeared and I wondered where you were" That didn't sound like the truth, but I accepted the answer anyways.

"Anyways, I'll be going now" he said quickly turning to leave. "Oh by the way, I want to fight you tomorrow. I want to know just how strong you are now." I just nodded as I watched him melt into the shadows.

I headed back to the edge of the castle and sat down, letting my legs dangle off the sides. I started to ponder over things as well as my memories, as the shadows of night grew.

_There's only one connection to my memories and that's Nanashi… What do I have to do to get them back… Something about Nanashi thought seems so familiar… Who is, or should I say was, Nanashi to me? I don't remember a thing before I was found, not my name even… just emptiness… All of what's happened recently, it seems so different. ÄRMs, Luberia, MÄR Heaven… Friends…_

I instantly thought of Nanashi and Akio at that last thought. _Akio… Great friend and he saved my life and gave me a new one to live by. Nanashi is the one who gave me a name and a place to stay, and led me to meet Team MÄR… Strange, _I thought curiously. _They're both guys… _A song had decided to slither in my mind at that moment, a melody maybe. I only knew them if the word before it was said. I started to hum quietly, but soon I began to sing quietly too.

_The days that come and go,_

_Where hope and darkness lie…_

It wasn't as if I knew the song itself, but it just came to me. I don't know the reason why…

_Hope for the next day to begin,_

_Who will you choose between yourself?..._

_The tie between what's real,_

_The line between what's not,_

_The mask that shattered is revealed._

_Will you choose your friend or –_

I cut off at that line… I don't know why but my eyes started to water a little, and I didn't let tears escape freely. I rubbed my eyes quickly and started to stare at the moon, trying to relieve my thoughts. I suddenly felt a pulse of magical power, it came from behind me. _Ch... _(Sort of like a tsk sound) _How did I not notice it before? Careless… _I instantly recognized it as Nanashi's. _How long has he been there?..._

"Hey Nanashi!" I shouted. "Why don't you come out already?" I turned towards the direction he was in. He came out from behind one of the pillars, smirking. His hands were placed above his head as walked over to sit down next to me.

"How long were you there?" I sighed. He looked at me in a mixture of confusion and surprise.

"Long enough" he replied as we started to stare at each other, neither of us daring to break the gaze.

"That didn't answer the question"

"Long enough to see Ak- i –o – chan hug you" Nanashi exaggerated, smiling widely. There was brief silence as I didn't reply to his answer.

"I know I'm being nosy, but what was that last line of that song you were singing" Nanashi questioned. We still held each others gaze, it didn't seem like it would end anytime soon.

"Will you choose your friend or love…" I murmured quietly avoiding his gaze now. He looked at me in surprise, his mouth agape.

"L-Love?" Nanashi stuttered, speechless. I nodded at him, he seemed really surprised. I looked at him again, noting his expression. _Now why did I remember that?... _

I looked at him for a few more seconds as a high pitched whining resounded through my head. My head started to hurt tremendously and I could have sworn I felt my blood pounding in my ears. I gripped my head in pain, grunting slightly as my vision blurred. I gripped the edge of the castle with one hand, my head with the other as my knuckled turned white.

"Mei!" Nanashi shouted urgently. "Mei! Are you alright!?" I heard Nanashi shouted again distantly. His voice seemed to fade as I shut my eyes. I couldn't feel anything but that numbing pain through my head. I opened my eyes again as the pain suddenly subsided in less than a second. This time though… I wasn't at Reginrave Castle. _Where __**am **__I?_

* * *

**A/N: **Yes a cliffhanger sorry ;;. I'll just give you a hint though. She wasn't teleported... The song lyrics were yeah created by me oO.. The tune is from my friends story though . It's not posted though oO...


	5. Memories

**A/N **Ah sorry it took so long to post this up .. Well anyways here's Ch 5, about 7 1/2 pages maybe... I don't own MAR in any way or any of the characters in the story, exept Mei, Akio, their ARMS and the scenarios I create.

_Thoughts/Flashbacks_

"Talking"

**emphasis or change in POV**

* * *

**Nanashi (3****rd****Person limited omni sense)**

Mei suddenly gripped her head in pain, averting her gaze from him. One hand gripped the edge of the castle, but her face was contoured in some pain he didn't know about.

"Mei!" Nanashi shouted worriedly. "Mei! Are you alright!?" He shook her lightly, but she didn't seem to feel his touch or hear his voice for that matter. Her knuckles had turned white, and her eyes were squeezed shut. Nanashi stopped shaking her, trying to think rationally. _What's going on!? _Nanashi looked at her worriedly, his eyes wide in fear.

Mei's hand suddenly hung loosely against the edge of the castle, her other hand falling limply to her side. Her body slumped forwards slightly, her entire body relaxed. Nanashi gave a small sigh of relief as she opened her eyes again, facing the ground below them.

"Hey Mei?" he asked calmly. "You alright?" Only Mei didn't answer, and ignored him. _No… Something is wrong. _He tilted her head to face him, his eyes staring into her hers. What he saw surprised him. Her eyes were dim and faded, dead more like it. They showed no sense of emotion or life, completely blank. Mei didn't even react at all.

A small frown appeared on his face as he picked Mei up from her position, and moved her to a nearby wall. Her eyes never blinked as he sat next to her again, her head leaning against his shoulder. _What happening here...? _Mei seemed to turn into a lifeless doll, a corpse even. _No, _he protested. _She's not dead. I'll just wait. _Nanashi did just that, waiting to see when she'd come out of the trance. He unconsciously moved Mei from her position so she was in his lap, his face very serious for a change as thoughts continually poured into his head, every single one of them containing the name 'Mei'.

**Mei's POV**

_Where am I? _, was the first question that had popped into my head. It was pitch black, no sense of ground beneath me. Something suddenly spun in front of my view, throwing me into a new place I've never been before, but for some reason… it was awfully familiar. I was in an alley somewhere, dirt-smudged brick walls to my left. The concrete below me was smothered with dirt and trash, a blinking sign above me reading, _'Pison's Noodle Shop'_ in bright neon colors.Small concrete steps led up to its red and rusted door, a small window nearby revealing a tall black spiky-haired man and an orange haired woman. It didn't look like anything I've seen in MAR Heaven…

Loud foot steps echoed behind me as a little girl whizzed past me, a head shorter than me. She ran on the dirty ground, her arms full with bread and fruit. I caught a flash of black hair flowing behind her, running quickly through the alley I was in. _Who the hell was that? _I thought curiously.

_"Hey!" _someone yelled out. I turned to see a fat shop owner chasing after the girl at a much slower pace, his face beet red and panting with exhaustion. _"Thieving little runt! Get back here!!" _I started to run after her, away from the shopkeeper while wondering at the same time, who the heck she was, and for that matter where was she going…

_"No way old man!" _the girl shouted facing him, her indigo eyes shining with amusement. _"You'll never catch me!" _She stuck her tongue out as a huge smile appeared on her pale face, the pathetic excuse for a guy chasing after her soon stopping to catch his breath. _What a weak guy! _I thought amused. _Can't even catch a little girl!_

Her back faced towards me she continued to run, her worn-out shoes tapping on the pavement with ease. She wore a dirty white T-shirt and baggy cargo pants, her skin and hair smudged with dirt. The girl ran faster and faster, running down the alley at an amazing pace for her age and size. The girl only looked around eleven years old, but she was faster than Jack if I ever saw him run! I followed behind her easily enough until a sudden thought entered my mind about her appearance.

_She looks kind of like me, _I thought surprised. _Younger and shorter, but other than that… Maybe she is me!? _I continued to run after the girl swiftly, right next her. She didn't even notice my presence, running through the alleyway purposefully and unafraid of the sharp looks that followed her like daggers.

An idiotic grin was still plastered on her face as she ran through a wooden door, the rusty colored paint peeling off it. The girl slammed the door in front of me, about to collide with my face. The thing was it didn't, the door went right through me!

Momentarily confused I followed her inside. It was mostly empty, a huge concrete floor spread out before me, light bulbs flickering here and there once in awhile. A medium sized wooden desk stood towards my right, the little girl placing everything in her arms there noisily. _What is this place? It's nothing I've _

She laughed loudly, sitting on the ground, her back against the door. Her laughter echoed through the empty room as she got up and took a sip of water from a nearby bottle. She walked only a few steps forward until I noticed someone very familiar coming out of a trapdoor built into the ground. _What is this? Sure this gives off a very nostalgic feeling and all, but I didn't expect __**him **__to be here!_

A young boy with long blonde hair running down his back walked out to welcome the girl. He was around the same as her, maybe a year older. He had the same dark-blue eyes as the girl and I. _**Nanashi?! **_I thought dumbfounded, my mouth agape._ Are these my memories then…? _He was dressed in a black T-shirt and khakis, a peculiar symbol on the back on his shirt in white.

_"Nii-chan!" _the little girl shouted excitedly running towards him, her arms outstretched. He did the same as she hugged him tightly, nearly tackling him. He did the same, though not as hard. They broke apart after a few seconds, the girl smiling happily her eyes glinting proudly.

_"Welcome back" _he replied happily, a lop-sided smile on his face. _"You don't have to call me nii-chan though remember?" It must be Nanashi! _I concluded. _The appearance, the smile, it's probably him! _The girl pointed to the table where she left her stuff.

_"Look! I was able to steal some food for us to eat!" _she admitted happily, ignoring his comment. _"Os-san wasn't able to catch me!" _'Nanashi', I assume it's him, smiling back and ruffled her hair. _Wait… Does that mean Nanashi's my actual brother or not?! _I thought quietly, part of my mind wanting to deny this completely.

_"What's wrong with calling you nii-chan though? You always ask this question!"_

_"No, but why do you call me that?" _he asked curiously. _"You never actually told me why… I'm not your actual brother and you know that, even if we do live together…"_

_"So, I'll still call you nii-chan, right?!" _she retorted defiantly, a huge grin on her face. He merely smiled and hugged her again. _Well, than I guess he isn't my brother, _I thought happily.

_"Yeah you still can"_ he smiled lightheartedly and grabbed a small loaf of bread. _"Nice job today!" _The girl beamed brightly at his words as he ripped half of the loaf off and handed it to her. She took it gratefully and started to eat slowly, the other doing the same.

_"How's Hisaki-nee-chan doing?" _she asked casually. _Who's Hisaki? _I thought curiously. The name was familiar, but I didn't know exactly who it was.

_"She's off at her house of course" _he replied, taking a bite of the bread. His face looked a little troubled, but the girl had failed to notice.

_"I don't get why she won't let us stay there though"_

_"Who knows… Oh wait a minute!" _he shouted suddenly. _"I forgot to give you something!" _He rummaged though his pockets, looking for something. A few seconds later he had found what he was looking for and took it out of his pocket.

It was a golden cross, two chains crossed in the center. Strange engravings and markings ran alongside the golden material. Altogether it seemed to give out a mystical sort of feeling. _That's my own necklace! _I thought surprised.

_"Nii-chan…" _she said surprised, her eyes wide with amazement. _"How did you get it...?"_

_"Just something I found and I'd thought you'd like", _he smirked. He motioned for her to come closer as he turned her body to face away from him, putting the necklace around her neck, the piece of bread under his arm. _"Somehow it seemed to almost drop from the sky! It landed at my feet!"_

She turned around, her eyes still wide with amazement. He looked at her strangely; it seemed he didn't get what was going on through her head. I didn't either, and that was the younger me!

_"Hey!" _he said worriedly. _"Stop with that face! You don't like it…?"_

_"Huh?" _she murmured absentmindedly. _"No! I love it nii-chan!" _She broke into a wide smile and hugged him again. 'Nanashi' looked relieved, hugging her back.

_-- _

The world swirled once again at a dizzying speed cutting off their (or should I say our) little moment, until I arrived in another place that wasn't Reginrave Castle. The boy and girl were there once again, this time on a grassy hill, the crescent moon looming above them. This time they were in another part of the city where they lived, at least I assumed it was a city.

_"Hey nii-chan?" _the little girl asked. _"You think things will be like this forever?"_

_"Oh? You want things to be like this forever?" _he grinned widely. _"Like my company that much?" _The girl merely blushed slightly and nodded slightly, looking at her shoes. He laughed and nodded too, looking at the night sky above. They sat side by side on top of the hill, the whole city spread out before them. The sign marked _'Pison's Noodle Shop'_ was still in sight and clearly visible, not that far from where they were. I was right behind them this time, although I knew they couldn't see me.

_"Hey, isn't this close to where you saved me from that fire…" _she mumbled. He looked at her surprised and nodded.

_"You remember then" _he smiled slightly, his eyes reflecting a glint of amusement.She laughed uneasily in reply and nodded happily.

_"The fireworks will be up soon right?" _she asked suddenly, changing the subject.

_"Probably, it's already dark enough", _he replied gladly. Right on cue, a burst of light had skyrocketed, exploding in a brilliant shade of blue. Sparks scattered, as more followed, much more colorful than the last. Multiple fireworks exploded as the first one had spread out, resulting booms and bangs echoing through the city. More and more came, filling the sky with multiple colors, both of them watching in awe.

_"So this is where you are!" _a voice called from behind them. I turned to see a girl a few years older than them, thin red hair cascading down her pale shoulders. Strangely though, she looked well groomed, and not a speck of dirt was on her.

_"Hisaki-nee-chan!" _the girl shouted excitedly, standing up quickly. Hisaki merely smiled and walked up to her, the loose midnight tank top she wore swaying mildly. I noticed Nanashi's indigo eyes reflected wariness, as some part of him didn't seem to trust her.

_"Hey Hisaki", _he greeted sincerely, smiling. Her dark brown eyes reflected his blue ones, the same wariness between the two of them, almost seeming to drown out the loud bangs of the fireworks. She nodded in acknowledgement, smiling as the little girl was oblivious to the friction between the two of them. That eye contact had only lasted for a less than second as Hisaki sat next to the little girl, or otherwise the past me.

_"So what are you guys doing here alone?" _Hisaki asked a tone of sarcasm hidden beneath it.

_"Nii-chan and I are watching the fireworks!" _the little girl replied happily. Hisaki chuckled as they had continued to talk. Nanashi, even though he wasn't included in this conversation, watched Hisaki curiously. It seemed as if I was the only one to notice, as the two girls were oblivious to his careful gaze. He continued to watch the fireworks alone, as they continued chatting, his face contoured in deep thought.

_"What's the matter nii-chan?" _the little girl asked curiously, suddenly appearing right next to him. He looked slightly taken aback, but replied anyways.

_"It's nothing much", _he smiled thoughtfully. _"Um, I won't be here for a few days. I have to give some sort of package to someone tomorrow. It's a new job I received recently" _He looked at her face and noticed her worried eyes. _"Don't worry! It will only be three days; I'll make sure you're awake when I leave." _Her face brightened considerably and hugged him tightly, knocking him over. He chuckled lightly and gently pushed her off him, both of them smiling.

_"Don't worry about her though", _Hisaki called out from behind them. _"I'll take good care of her" _He nodded sending a glare at her the meaning obvious that she better do just that, or else.

_--_

Another memory had appeared in front of me, this time near the outskirts of town. The rain was coming down hard, the grounds covered completely with water. I immediately saw the little girl again, but in all this rain, I couldn't tell if she was crying or not. She seemed to search vainly around town, as I followed her confused. _What's going on…?_ My question was soon answered as she let out a loud yell.

_"NII-CHAN!" _she shouted loudly. She continued to run around the entire city searching every inch of ground she could cover desperately, stumbling here and there. Civilians merely gave strange looks at the girl from under their umbrellas, but she didn't seem to care, she just kept on running. She was completely soaked in water, her clothes sticking to her like a second skin.

_"NII-CHAN!_" she shouted again, rounding another curve down an alleyway. _What's going on?! _I thought wildly. _She can't find nii-chan that's for sure, but why does she look so sad…_ It was true, but she seemed more hurt than sad. I knew for sure something was wrong; there was no way anyone would go out in this pouring rain without an umbrella or something.

_"Three weeks…_" she mumbled incoherently. _"Three weeks since he had left… He only said three days right? No maybe it was three weeks" _the girl thought hopefully, but her sense of reason came back to her. _"No… I remember it was three days, nii-chan would never leave me this long alone…" _She continued to run, a new burst energy propelling her forward. She shut her eyes briefly, and stopped to catch her breath.

The girl continued to run around the entire city asking random strangers if they had seen him, but all of them had ignored her, treating her as if she was never there in the first place. Her spirit dampened but she continued to go forward, until she reached the other end of town, mortified.

_"Why…" _she shivered, not because of the cold though. Her rested a hand against a wall, and I knew for sure, through those closed eyelids were tears… _"If you're here I will find you though!" _She started to run again, my own energy flagging. It was impressive willpower, yet I knew all this had happened before.

Something in my mind already told me what had happened, placing facts I already knew and crossing them with the new memories I had obtained so far. It seemed to obvious now, but I remember my feelings I had with where I was in this time as well. All of it seemed to catch up with these events unfolding beneath my eyes. Even though, I knew somewhere this would hurt me emotionally, yet the same feeling told me I should know anyways.

I continued to follow her nevertheless, discarding my temporary thoughts and tried to catch up to her. I soon found her around a corner, her bare feet still splashing against the cold stone floor, determined as ever.

"_NII-CHAN!" _she shouted again, her voice starting to crack. She looked like she was about to lose it soon, her body shaking and her eyes were dull. She continued to run still, my energy decreasing as well. She was running along the outskirts of town now, still searching as hard as she was before.

"_Nii-chan!" _she shouted, her voice considerably weaker. Her fast pace had soon turned into a steady jog, but there was still no sign of nii-chan. She soon ended up in front of Pison's Noodle shop once again, tripping over the stone steps.

"_Nii-chan…" _she muttered, barely a whisper now, her body limp and her energy depleted. Her face was deathly pale, and her dull eyes half-lidded. A figure had stopped in front of her, a flash of red hair beneath a billowing cloak. With eyes hidden beneath the hood, a tantalizing scowl was the only thing seen.

"_Hi…saki…" _she murmured weakly. _"Is that you?" _The person's scowl merely deepened, the girl's eyes shutting slowly, the space around me darkening.

_--_

Soon enough, I had appeared inside yet another memory. This time I saw myself exactly, the same age and everything, only different clothes. (Ok this will be confusing so the past Mei here will be in 3rd Person)

Blue eyes flashed determinedly, followed by a mass of black hair. A streak of red trailing behind her, their paces one and the same. Hisaki and Mei were running around the edge of the city, looking for something. Hisaki's eyes were narrowed in disbelief and annoyance. Adorned in a black cloak, she ran as silently as her companion. Unlike Hisaki though, Mei wore a small smile on her face, dressed in a white tank-top and black jeans.

"_How many times will I tell you he __**isn't **__coming back" _she shouted. Mei merely shook her head and continued to run, what I assumed to be, patrolling the edge of the city.

"_He'll come back someday!" _Mei shouted happily. _"Until then, I'll do whatever it takes to find him, dead or not." _She seemed determined to find him, even if he was dead; Mei just wanted proof that he didn't abandon them completely. The answers were all in her voice, happy and determined no sort of waving whatsoever. Hisaki rolled her eyes and continued to follow, going inside the city now, turning every corner and looking down every street.

_"This was the city he was headed to right Hisaki-nee-chan?" _Mei questioned. Hisaki's auburn eyes flashed dangerously for a brief second, but nodded. It was obvious she didn't like being called 'nee-chan'. Mei stopped and talked to a few people on the way asking if they had ever seen their friend, occasionally pulling out a picture of him. It was the exact same one that was my pocket right now.

_"How come you can't realize after what three or so years, you're __**never **__going to find him!" _Hisaki groaned.

_"I will find him" _Mei replied, devoid of any emotion. Hisaki merely scoffed and skidded to a stop behind her.

_"Let me slap you in the face with reality then" _Hisaki sneered, a few feet away from her. Mei turned around, curious about what she had to say.

_"If you're going to say he's dead I won't believe you"_

_"He's dead all right" _Hisaki said. _"And I know __**exactly **__how he died" _A brief silence had past as Mei drunk in the work Hisaki had spoken.

_"What are you talking about? How would you even know what happened to him?" _Mei asked, her eyes narrowed into slits. Hisaki chuckled, enjoyed with her reaction.

_"Your so called brother is __**dead**__", Mei_didn't reply, but Hisaki continued. _"You don't get it do you? He didn't just plain old die, __**I **__arranged for him to die" _She held up her pale hand, making a show of examining her nails, a chaotic grin pasted on her face.

_"Are you trying to say this to make me feel better Hisaki? Cause' it isn't working", _Mei scowled.

_"Oh no no. Every word I'm saying is the truth."_

_"That can't be right", _Mei replied, staying calm. _"You were nii-chan's friend, as well as mine. You'd never to anything to hurt us." _She smiled happily. Hisaki frowned, staring at Mei's amused eyes. _"Besides if you really did kill him, wouldn't you kill me as well? If I recall correctly, you saved me Hisaki-nee-chan."_

_"You're right I did, but that also means…" _she paused, drawing a dagger from her cloak, shining brilliantly. "_I should have the right to take that life away… You see, I left you to live because you were so young. Even though you two simply adored each other __**so **__much, it sickened me."_

_"Adored? What am I a doll?!" _Mei snapped, raising an eyebrow. Hisaki chuckled, _"Maybe more like loved, but still… Because of that meaningless affection he died." _She pointed the dagger menacingly. _"I'll be nice though, I'll send you straight to where your beloved '__**nii-chan**__'__**—**_she spat here—_lies"_

_"Why would you want to kill me though? We're friends aren't we?" _Mei demanded.

_"Insolent fool, you were more like pawns than friends. Even your stupid idiot of a fri—"_

_"__**Don't **__call him stupid Hisaki!" Mei spat._

_"Oh? I've mad you mad now? Just because you loved your idiot 'nii-chan' doesn't mean I lose the right to insult him, and since your protecting him you must me stupid too!"_ she mocked, trailing her fingers along the edge of her blade. Mei twitched slightly, her fists balled up at her sides.

_"I've had enough of your nonsense! Hisaki-nee-chan would never say these things!"_

_"I'm not your nee-chan, but I __**am **__Hisaki. You thick-headed moron! He's dead! I killed him, and you're next on my list!" _Hisaki threw the dagger quickly, catching Mei by surprise by making a large gash in her left arm.

"_You're someone else dressing up as Hisaki aren't you!" _Mei winced, clutching her arm, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"_I am Hisaki you stupid idiot. He told me to take care of you didn't he?"_ Hisaki laughed loudly, pulling out four more daggers. They were much sharper than the last one, all of them seeming to be weighed efficiently._ "Why don't you just pull out a gun?" _Mei asked sarcastically.

"_Oh you know they don't sell them to minors. Besides… it's much more fun this way!"_

"_You are sick…" _Mei commented, disgusted.

"_It doesn't matter now. Since you'll be dead soon anyways!" _Hisaki threw all four at once, each of them making some sort of cut in Mei's skin as she tried to avoid them. Hisaki threw more and more of them continuously as Mei scrambled to land a hit on her with her bare hands. Hisaki dodged them easily and resorted to using a slim black dagger, ragged along the edges of the blade.

_"Why are you doing this!?" _she demanded. _"This can't all be because our friendship sickened you!"_

_"You're right there was another reason" _Hisaki regarded her carefully, enjoying the sight of Mei's blood dripping to the ground. _"I might have been just jealous of you two, the way you always seemed to get along and care for each other. He always seemed to love you more than me."_

_"Nii-chan love me? We were more like best friends Hisaki", _Mei replied, astounded.

_"No, he really did love you…" _A tinge of sadness had appeared in Hisaki's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. _"That's why I killed him and you as well"_

_"I'm not dying here today Hisaki, I won't believe he's dead either"_

_"You are going to die; I'll make sure of it"_

_"Wait" _Mei put one hand up in the air to stop her. _"How do you know he did love me? We were always friends…"_

_"He did, that's why he died" _Hisaki said no more as she charged at Mei. _"No more talking now, just shut up and let me kill you!"_ The darkened dagger swung over Mei's head as she charged forward, digging her shoulder into Hisaki's stomach. She bent over in pain, but not without landing a deep cut in Mei's leg.

Hisaki, annoyed by Mei's actions, led a fury of attacks on her inevitably leaving several wounds on her. Mei stumbled onto the ground, recovering just in time to avoid a blow to the head. She scrambled away from Hisaki grabbing a nearby dagger that was thrown at her not to long ago.

Mei quickly parried an attack aimed at her throat, throwing her assailant's attack sideways for a few brief seconds, but that was enough for Mei. She quickly stabbed Hisaki's shoulder as the said girl grunted in pain, but that didn't come without the cost of the same wound. Both girls split apart, their breathing fast and shallow. Mei had suffered more wounds than Hisaki, but the younger girl had been able to land a few blows as well.

Blood dripped to the floor of daggers and what little sweat was shed, both girls' eyes locked in conflicting emotions. Blue eyes met brown, sadness and determination in Mei's eyes, rage and hate in Hisaki's. The link had only lasted for a few seconds as they simultaneously charged again, the ring of steel echoing throughout the clearing they were in.

_Why Hisaki, _a voice rang out. I looked up at the sound, diverting my attention from the scene in front of me. _Why do you have to try and kill us? _

"Are these my thoughts?" I wondered aloud. I continued to watch the scene unfold before me, recognizing the pained look on Mei's face. It was confirmed they were my thoughts as sparks flew, very few words echoing across to me.

_We're best friends aren't we…?_

Hisaki had been able to land a few more wounds on Mei's arms and legs, her opponent doing the same. Mei struggled to land blows on her opponent, both of them unwilling to lose to the other. Neither of them had any real experience with a weapon, no tactics no strategy, both of them trying to use their advantage on the other, Hisaki using her longer reach, and Mei using her speed to her advantage as well.

Mei landed a blow on Hisaki's shoulder as it blood flowed through the opened wound. Both opponents sticking with a one-handed grip, neither of them having any real strength left in them left. Hisaki's aimed a blow to Mei's head as she dodged, sweeping her legs in an arc to trip her. Unfortunately Hisaki had predicted the move and jumped, kicking Mei straight in the face. She was taken aback by the force hitting her head against a nearby wall. It bled heavily, but Mei didn't care as she quickly charged at her leaving a large gash in Hisaki's right arm.

_You're leaving me no choice in this…_

Mei quickly followed up, aiming a blow to Hisaki's throat, but she avoided it and instead of hitting her neck, Mei had cut the hood of Hisaki's cloak. Hisaki immediately dove under Mei's reach and swung, leaving a deep crimson gash. It ran from under Mei's torso, running down towards her waist. Mei immediately fell backwards, scarlet blood running down her already blood stained shirt, her eyes wide in pain.

Hisaki chuckled loudly and left, knowing her work had been done, dropping the dagger in the process. Mei's blood pooled around her, her breathing shallow and ragged. Luckily enough the wound did not hit any major organs or blood vessels, but the amount of blood Mei had already lost was going to cost her. The several wounds were going to add up; even if none of them were fatal she would die from blood loss.

_"At least… maybe… I'll see him…" _Mei forced out, her eyes closed, her body visibly shaking. She knew well enough she was going to die, that it was perhaps futile to even move… _"One more time…"_

_**The tunnel has opened. **_Mei snapped her eyes open as she tried to search for the voice, but she saw nothing. The buildings around her started to dissolve into darkness, and everything around with it. A strange glowing circle appeared around her marked in strange blue symbols, a face with plusses for eyes and a tongue inside. Mei was able to give a short gasp of surprise as a ghost seemed to appear in front of her, adorned in a red billowing cloak.

_**"Oh?**__" _the ghost looking at her curiously. _**"I didn't expect to see one so injured" **_The ghost looked at Mei as if expecting an answer. She stared back in reply.

"_**You have yearned for another world that is why the gate has appeared near you"**_

"_Is he… going to be there…?" _Mei managed to gasp. The ghost looked at her in surprise, and continued.

"_**I do not know" **_the ghost continued._** "Normally I would have thrown a die to decide how many will enter, but since you're just about dead I'll just let you in nicely…"**_The 'thing' actually looked disappointed in this, but also sympathetic. Mei stared wide-eyed at the creature, a massive stone gate appearing beneath her. Dull grey chains rattled on the double doors, as what seemed to be a stone version of the strange ghost grasping the gate.

The gate suddenly opened beneath her, but Mei didn't even have enough energy to scream as she fell through. I stood next to her as we both went through, landing on a barren desert plain softly. We were lucky enough to land safely, but the person in front of me had passed out more blood dripping to the barren ground beneath her.

The blow to Mei's head had been bad enough, blood trickling down it slowly. I took this chance to look around quickly, instantly recognizing the place I was in before darkness engulfed my surroundings. The sudden conclusion hit me instantly. _Luberia! Akio must have saved me just a few minutes after going through that strange gate! _Another question had popped in my head. _What was that strange gate though? I've never seen it before! Then again I don't really understand a lot of what had happened… _

_Why is that place so different from MAR Heaven? I've heard Ginta had come from another world… Maybe I should ask him sometime, he might know something about that place from my memories. _I blinked slowly as the darkness disappeared, replaced by a blurred out face in front of me. I blinked a couple more times till my vision started to clear, revealing a long blond-haired man. His dark-blue eyes reflected mine, silence overcoming the two of us. His hair tickled my cheek as I brushed it away, taking in my surroundings. I quickly sat up realizing I was in his lap, and rubbed my head.

"Nii-chan?" I questioned cautiously, facing him. He looked at me confused and shook his head, the red headband he was wearing covering his eyes now.

"It's me Mei-chan!" he complained, astounded. "Nanashi!" It was my turn to shake my head as I tried to shake off the past from the present.

"Of course I'm sorry Nanashi" I murmured.

"What's wrong Mei-chan? It looks like you've seen a ghost!" _That's because it seems like it… _He noticed my serious face and tried to look me in the eyes.

"It's nothing, I'll see you later…" I said absentmindedly and turned to leave.

"Oh? I'll see you tomorrow Mei-chan!" I acknowledged the statement with a quick nod of my head and walked towards my room, pondering over the newly recovered memories I recently obtained. Nanashi watched Mei's receding figure, a look of confusion plastered on his face.

**A/N: **This is an extra segment I took out because I just found it lame and I didn't want to re-edit it... Oh yah I won't be able to update again for a couple weeks (camp)... Sorry..

Extra ( NP)

The scene that unfolded before my eyes though, was unexpected. There was sea of fire everywhere! I stood in the middle of the flames, but not a single ounce of pain came at me. A small girl came into my view, surrounded by flames, a burning house behind her.

Her dark-blue eyes were wide with fear, tears rolling down her face, never ending. The person was merely seven years old at most! The little girl wore a simple white dress, now smudged with dirt and ash. She looked constantly around, looking for a way to escape the flames. I looked on hopelessly, glued to the spot, I couldn't move at all when I tried.

She ran towards the edge of the flames, finding no way of escape. The little girl ran towards the center, the flames closing in on her. Her knees buckled from exhausted and grief, as she fell, sobbing loudly.

_"Mommy, Daddy…" _she wailed loudly. _"Where are you!?" _I looked on helpless, wishing I could at least help her. The girl collapsed on the ground, her dark-blue eyes still shining with sadness. Her long black-hair, laced with ash covered her face._ Wait… Is that… __**me**__? _I looked closely at the girl lying in front of me, the flames nearing, closer and closer.

_It __**is **__me! _I thought with a sudden realization. _I'm not dead, so… how did I survive?! _That question was soon answered as a guy with a black hood came running through at an amazing speed, not a single burn on him. He was about the same age as the girl, startled when he saw her. He gave a small grunt and picked her up, carrying her on his back. The girl didn't even squirm, her grief-ridden eyes about to close.

The black-hooded kid ran through again, using his jacket as a shield for the girl. It was draped over her shoulders and above his head, not allowing me to see his face or hair. He ran through quickly, the jacket aflame. He quickly discarded it once they were through, leaving minor burns on his legs and arms, the girl completely unharmed. A quickly flash of blonde hair caught my eyes before he ran again and out of my sight, melting into the shadows.

_Who was that?... _I thought curiously.


End file.
